BCAA program gets members home safely

by Jil - December 2, 2010

Burnaby, British Columbia – A new program for members of the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) gives drivers an option for getting themselves and their vehicles home safely. The BCAA Safe-Ride-Home program helps members who are unable to drive home safely due to such reasons as medical treatment, physical injury or alcohol consumption.

The program is being introduced as a three-month pilot and is available to members across the province.

BCAA members are entitled to one such call per year, which will count as one of their annual service calls. The tow home will be limited to the driver and his or her vehicle. There is no extra charge to members for the service, as long as the distance is within the maximum towing distance allowed at the level of membership. Members requiring a longer tow will be able to pay for the extra distance per kilometre as they would for a regular service tow.

“People who become impaired through the course of the day or evening don’t normally think ahead about how they’re going to get home,” said Allan Lamb, executive director of the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation. “This unique program for BCAA members helps improve road safety by increasing the options for getting home safely.”

During December, BCAA members who call for the Safe-Ride-Home program will have the option of making a donation to Operation Red Nose in B.C., a service in which volunteers transport party-goers and their vehicles home on a by-donation basis. The service is offered in a number of B.C. communities on specific Friday and Saturday nights during the holiday season, with donations going to support selected youth organizations. For more information, visit Operation Red Nose.